Curved Instrument for the Sport of Object Manipulation

ABSTRACT

A Curved Instrument for the Sport of Object Manipulation is described as being a solid mold made of soft plastic which is used by but not limited to whirling, twirling, spinning, tossing, grasping, catching, bumping and flipping in the air to oneself, another person or among an unlimited number of persons with virtually any portion of the body. The present invention is composed of four portions attached to one another where each portion contains at least one curve in addition to an indention located in the center of the portion for grip and reference point. Each portion is identical to the other three portions and is a minor image of its respectable opposite portion. The present invention has curves and indentions which makes the instrument safer and easier to use in the sport of object manipulation as the curved instrument is safer and easier to whirl, twirl, spin, toss, grasp, catch, bump and flip with virtually any portion of the body.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to the sport of object manipulation and more particularly, describes a safe and soft flexible plastic object which allows for an unlimited number of tricks a person can play while acting as a device which can safely be played with by whirling, twirling, spinning, tossing, grasping, catching, bumping and flipping to perform tricks and strengthen hand-eye coordination.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention is related to the sport (also considered to be an art form) of object manipulation that involves manipulating an instrument with one's hand. It is considered by some to be a form of contact juggling. This sport is often considered a form of self-entertainment, however multinational competitions are sometimes held. The typical type of instrument used in this sport is a straight object, i.e. a drumstick, pencil, or pen. Given the type of instrument used in this sport, one common form of this sport is drumstick spinning. A more popular form of this object manipulation is pen spinning, which is often called “pen mawashi.” The origins of pen mawashi is unknown. The earliest record of pen spinning comes from a pre-World War II Japanese student. Pen mawashi has been a popular past time in Japan for several decades. Pen mawashi is gaining international popularity through forums and on-line video sharing. Pen mawashi now has dedicated movements in South Korea and the United States according to the chairman of the Pen Spinning Association Japan. The number of pen spinning websites and forums have increased since 2006. There are now regional boards in France, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. Tournaments are organized on the Internet and live tournaments are held in Japan and Korea.

There are several named tricks in the sport of object manipulation. The continuous thumbaround, charge reverse, and ring backaround are a just a few of several named tricks. The continuous thumbaround involves using the middle finger to spin the selected instrument, i.e. a pencil, around the thumb. The charge reverse involves using the index finger to spin the selected instrument, i.e. a pen, between the middle finger and ring finger. The ring backaround involves using the middle finger and pinky finger to spin the selected instrument, i.e. a drumstick, around the ring finger.

While using straight objects for the sport of object manipulation is useful, there are several prominent drawbacks associated with them. Primarily, you limit the ability to increase hand-eye coordination when the object is whirled, twirled, spun, tossed, grasped, caught or flipped in the air, to oneself or among one or more persons.

Another drawback is how straight objects limit the number of tricks a person play. Due to their design, straight objects are not capable of being whirled, twirled, spun, tossed, grasped, caught or flipped to oneself or to another person in unlimited directions. Further, a straight object lacks the curves and additional grips and points of reference that are needed for additional tricks and the ability to us virtually any portion of the body to perform these additional tricks.

In addition, straight objects such as pencils can have sharp, blunt or hard ends and or edges that are not safe to whirl, twirl, spin, toss, grasp, catch, bump and flip in the air or back and forth among persons.

Clearly, then, there is a need for a curved instrument for sport of object manipulation that can be used to both increase hand-eye coordination and increase the number of tricks that can be performed. A wider variety of tricks may be played safely and in addition to the tricks already developed in the sport of object manipulation, tricks involving, but not limited to, tossing and catching the object in the air, under the leg, and behind the back, as well as whirling, twirling, spinning, tossing, grasping, catching, bumping and flipping either to oneself or to one or more persons in unlimited directions with virtually any portion of the body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an improvement on the typical type of instrument used in the sport of object manipulation. The present invention is composed of at least two portions attached to one another where each portion contains at least one curve. The typical instrument used in the sport of object manipulation is a straight object, i.e. a drumstick, pencil, or pen. However, the present invention has curves that make the instrument easier to use in the sport of object manipulation as the curved instrument is easier to whirl, twirl, spin, toss, grasp, catch, bump and flip virtually any portion of the body. Also, given the improvement to the typical type of instrument used in the sport, a wider variety of tricks may be played safely. In addition to the tricks already developed in the sport of object manipulation, tricks involving, but not limited to, tossing and catching the object in the air, under the leg, and behind the back, as well as whirling, twirling, spinning, tossing, grasping, catching, bumping and flipping either to oneself or to one or more persons with virtually any portion of the body may be played. With the increase of tricks, the present invention also increases hand-eye coordination while the inventions soft plastic allows for safe playability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures of the drawing are briefly described as follows:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a right view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a bottom side view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view thereof; and

The front elevation view is a minor image of the back elevation view.

The right side view is a mirror image of the left side view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In looking at FIG. 4, the preferred embodiment of the invention has four portions designated by the numbers 1, 8, 15 and 22. The ideal length of portion 1, 8, 15 and 22 is 19.04746 cm. 1 is a minor image of 22. 8 is a mirror image of 15 respectively. The ideal length of portions 2, 9, 16 and 23 is 14.5 cm. 2 is a mirror image of 23 and 9 is a mirror image of 16 respectively. 1 is longitudinal and is in between 8 and 15. 22 is longitudinal and is in between 8 and 15. 2 has two curves across its length, numbered 3 and 4. The radius of curvature of 3 and 4 is 7 cm. 3 and 4 are concave, and therefore fall into the inside of the invention. The amplitude of 3 and 4 is 1.7 cm. In the middle of 1 lies matching flat dips, numbered 6 and 7, on the front and back side of 1 respectively. 6 and 7 may vary in length from 1 cm to 6 cm and may vary in depth from 0.01 cm to 3 cm. 1 has two curves 5 and 19. The radius of curvature 5 and 19 is 2.54 cm. 5 and 19 are convex and therefore fall to the outside of the invention. In the middle of 8 lies matching flat dips, numbered 12 and 13, on the front and back side of 8 respectively. 12 and 13 may vary in length from 1 cm to 6 cm and may vary in depth from 0.01 cm to 3 cm. 8 has two curves 5 and 14. The radius of curvature 5 and 14 is 2.54 cm. 5 and 14 are convex and therefore fall to the outside of the invention. 8 is vertical and is juxtaposed to the left side of 1 and 22. 18 is vertical and is juxtaposed to the right side of 1 and 15.

The invention is tube-like and molded into the above described shape. The preferred material of this invention is soft plastic. The preferred material allows the invention not to be too hard as to cause injury to any body part that may come into contact with the invention while participating in the sport of object manipulation. However, the preferred material also allows the invention not to be too soft as to have the invention lose its shape while being used in the sport of object manipulation. The invention may be made using a molded frame where the outline of the described invention may be cast and the liquid plastic may be poured into the molded frame and allowed to set. Different sizes of the preferred embodiment may be reproduced by casting a rubberized molded frame drawn to scale of the desired size.

The invention is used in the sport of object manipulation. A popular instrument used in object manipulation is a pen. The use of the pen in object manipulation is called “pen spinning,” or “pen mawashi.” A pen is a straight object. The typical tricks used in pen spinning involve spinning the pen around a finger is some manner. With the curves in the current invention, more can be done in the sport of object manipulation than just spinning the invention around a finger because the curves make the invention easy to whirl, twirl, spin, toss, grasp, catch, bump and flip in the air or among one or more persons with virtually any portion of the body. The invention dips in the middle portion of the invention to provide a safe grip and center of reference (i.e. 6, 7, 12, 13, 20, 21, 26 and 27) and curves on the corners (i.e. 5, 19, 14, and 28) which allow the invention to be caught and tossed easily between the fingers. The curves, such as 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25 make the invention easy to grasp as the curves may conform to the fingers and the hand, much more so than a pen. The straightness of a pen allows the pen to be caught primarily by the hand as the hand and fingers would need to fully wrap around the pen to make an effective catch. The curves in this invention, such as 5, 19, 14, and 28, along with 2, 9, 16 and 22 allow the invention to be caught by varying body parts, such as the wrist or ankle, and not just the hand and fingers. Because the invention is easy to catch, the invention may safely tossed in the air either to oneself or to one or more persons with virtually any portion of the body as part of the sport of object manipulation, not just spun around the finger. The invention may be, but is not limited to being, tossed up above the head, tossed behind the back, and tossed under the leg. The invention may be spun around a finger, multiple fingers or other body parts such as a wrist as part of the sport of object manipulation. Also within the sport of object manipulation, the invention may be tossed off other portions of the body besides the hand. The invention may be kicked with a foot, bumped with an elbow, or balanced on the nose, just to name a few. The uses of the invention as part of the sport of object manipulation are wide and numerous. The invention may be manipulated using any portion of the body and tossed into the air using any portion of the body. The manipulation of the invention may be done individually or in a group and will increase hand-eye coordination. 

1. I claim a curved instrument for the sport of object manipulation is described as being a solid mold made of soft flexible plastic which is composed of one continuous loop with four portions where each portion contains 3 curves, an indention located in the center of each portion where each portion is identical to the other three portions and a mirror image of its respectable opposite portion. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the soft flexible plastic along with round edges and curves insures a safe object to whirl, twirl, spin, toss, grasp, catch, bump and flip with virtually any portion of the body either with oneself or among one or more persons for the sport of object manipulation while increasing the safety of playability. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the present invention has curves that make the instrument easier to use in the sport of object manipulation as the curved instrument is easier to twirl, whirl, toss, flip, spin, grasp, catch, bump and flip with virtually any portion of the body either with oneself or among one or more persons to increase the number of tricks played. The apparatus of claim 1 where each portion is identical to the other three portions and a minor image of its respectable opposite portion make the instrument easier to use in the sport of object manipulation as the curved instrument is easier to twirl, whirl, toss, flip, spin, grasp, catch, bump and flip with virtually any portion of the body either with oneself or among one or more persons to increase the number of tricks played. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein an indention located in the center of each portion is to provide grip and a reference point to the invention. 